100 Year Picnic

Cello, It's Me, The Loopy Spring Tour 2009, 100 Year Picnic

Busy people get the most done, right? Well, we are definitely busy. Wifey is launching a new business, kiddies are work/work/workin' so hard at their new Jr. High School, and Dad is mixing a new record and keeps booking shows! What's up with that?  

Here's what we have on the books so far this spring. Come out and get silly with us. We are going to break out the loop pedal and do the next few shows as an acoustic trio: Me, Ed, and our good friend Kurt on the CELLO. 

April 18 (Saturday), Springfest!, Rhinos, 602 N. Main, Bloomington, IL, 4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

April 19 (Sunday), 2009 Earth Music Art Festival, Recycled Office Furniture Factory, 407 S. Main (under the bridge!), Bloomington, IL, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

May 23 (Saturday), TheatresCool, 403 N. Main, Bloomington, IL, (sharing the bill with Tommy & Breann Neal), 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

May 30 (Saturday), Mulberry School Event, El Toro, 3805 Ballybunion Rd, Bloomington, IL, 5:00ish p.m. 

June 23 (Tuesday), Uptown Normal Farmer's Market, Amtrak Parking Lot, Normal, IL, 3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Awesome times will be had by all.

Thank You Bloomington!

Thanks to everyone who came out to our two sold out shows at TheatresCool. Both audiences were awesome. We had an absolute blast with y'all. I guess we are gonna have to do this again...    

We did get some good video footage, so my son and I are in the process of putting together some video for youtube. Also, our friend Matt Edwards from Redcorn Studios (and The Redboy Podcast) was on hand to capture some amazing photos, including the photo in our new website header. Here are a few more great shots from Matt...

We Are Actually Going To Put On A Couple Rock Shows

We are pleased to announce two very special shows coming up on February 28th and March 7 at TheatresCool in downtown Bloomington.  

Update:  We are booked solid with reservations for both shows!  Tickets are at the door though, so we recommend that you arrive early for a seat.  

We are finally going to have the opportunity to put together a full cast of characters to deliver this album to you LIVE, from start to finish.  We have a slew of talented friends, singers, and players that are going to help us out:

• Alex Chadwick: Guitar, bass, vocals
• Jennifer Rusk: Vocals
• Tony San Filippo: Drums, percussion, keys
• Kurt Hoffman: Cello, vocals, keys (28th only)
• Brian Choban: Trumpet, fluglehorn, percussion.  

I'm pretty sure Ken Thornton is going to be joining us too for one of the shows.  Ed is playing bass for most of the show, and I'm on acoustic guitar, piano, and vocals.  

See what I mean? We are currently rehearsing for this show, and we are having a blast.   

A couple other things.  TheatresCool is a GREAT listening room with tiered seating, couches, and all around good vibes.  We will have some coolers with beer and soft drinks that come with the price of admission.  You are also welcome to bring your own beer, wine, or beverage of your choice for the show.  

Get this one on your calendar!  If you would like to come out to one or both of these shows, please email me with your reservation.  The seating is very limited.  Can't wait!  

I Hope We Can Be, Become Friends

Come out to see 100 Year Picnic's first show of 2009.  We are the opening act for Chicago songwriter Matt Robinson and his band at NV Lounge in Normal IL on Saturday, January 31. Festivities start around 9.  

Last summer I had the opportunity to sing background vocals and play drums on Matt's vibey LP, Everybody Dreams Under Big Trees. The record features a nice mix of country-tinged, folky, blues rock with big themes, lonely highways, blue skies, and haunted dreams. There's plenty here that rev-up, but the chilled-out ballads are my favorites.  

Matt conveys his unique perspectives in plain yet descriptive language with a sincere vocal delivery.  In the Neil Youngish Sing Me Do, "A young couple's love spills out onto the fire escape." The happiest sad song on the album is Sad Song Honey, where Matt laments, "And in this city, I'm never alone. It crawls through my closed window and I just want to be alone."  

My favorite tune on the record is Time Will Only Tell.  You will believe Matt when he delicately sings, "Yes time will only tell, if I will find you well. The moon lit our path, it turned red, and now it's black. I hope we can be, become friends."  It's an understated and beautifully arranged track, with violin, vibraphone, moog, percussion, and acoustic guitar.  If you're like me, and I know I am, this one will sneak up on you.

My friend Tony SanFilippo produced the album at his Oxide Lounge studio where he recorded and co-produced the last several Backyard Tire Fire albums.  Anyway, it was a blast working with Matt and Tony, plus some other music friends, including my lovely wifey who lent her sweet lullaby voice on Into A Dream.  To check out the music, visit Matt's website and CDBaby page.  And come out to the show!

100 Year Picnic On New Year's Eve

Edwin and I are doing a 45 minute acoustic set at 7:00 PM, New Year's Eve, at TheatresCool, downtown Bloomington. In fact, we have several shows coming up this winter (more on this later). 

TheatresCool is, in fact, a very cool performance space at 403 North Main Street, Bloomington (2 doors south of Coffee Hound). It has comfy couches, rocking chairs, tiered seating, and popcorn for a dollar! And most importantly, it is a great sounding room, excellent for music, where you'll be able to hear all the words. It is exactly the sort of thing we are looking to do more of, so please come out and join in the fun.

We'll be kicking the evening off at 7:00.  There will also be performances by our friend David Davenport, Mark Kissinger, and even an appearance from magician J.B. Lemage. Admission is $5.

Now Isn't This Just A Whole Lotta Fun?

CDs now available in stores:

100 Year Picnic Record Club

CDBaby.com (CD or MP3 Downloads)

Waiting Room Records (Normal, IL)

Monster Pawn (Bloomington and Normal, IL)

 

100 Year Picnic To Join In The Fun On WBNQ

For those of you in the hometown of Bloomington, Illinois, tune into The Susan Saunders Show on WBNQ 101.5 on Thursday morning, March 6. 

Ed and I will be doing a live interview between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.  This week Susan is doing a salute to independent artists in the area.  I know our friend Tony is going to be on Wednesday morning talking about Backyard Tire Fire and some other groups he's been recording and producing.

So anyway, tune in, it will be great fun.  I'm guessing we'll talk about the new record, independent music, sample a few cuts, and we may even bring in our guitars to do something live in the studio. 

Speaking of the new record, our pre-release promotion ends on March 10, and we'll be releasing Tales Of A Modern Splash to the public on March 11.  Locally, to start out with, you will be able to buy copies at Monster Pawn (of course) and the very cool and independent Waiting Room Records in uptown Normal. 

Don't Miss The 100 Year Art Show: January 12, 2008

Edwin and I have had the great pleasure of playing on the BIG ROCK stage at Daddio's a couple times in the past month, and it was a blast.  But for our kinda-sorta acoustic, dynamic duo config, this next show is a PERFECT FIT. 

Come see us at the COMETOGETHER GROUP ART SHOW, Saturday, January 12, 2008, 8:30 PM, 115 E. Monroe (corner of Monroe and East), Bloomington, IL, 3rd Floor.  This will truly be a unique experience, as this one night only art show will present over 25 different artists and their highly original, eclectic work. 

Artist and Art Director Matt Erickson has been putting on these special shows each winter for several years, and I can tell you there will be some interesting, thought-provoking, wild, fun, serious, and wacky art to admire and purchase if you so desire.  This one is located in a 100 year old historical art studio building.  Ed and I will play a 45 minute set starting at 8:30.  Oh, and it's FREE!  It's a celebration of art, music, and community coming together.  Hope to see you there!

100 Year Picnic Plays for BTFs Holiday JAMboree

Want to hear some GREAT independent music in Central Illinois? 

This Friday, December 21, at Daddios, we are participating in a huge benefit featuring some of the best original music in the area, including touring artists Backyard Tire Fire, Chicago Farmer, Wiplot, The Dirty Hands Band, and many more.  It's an honor to be on the same bill with all these guys!  Edwin and I will be doing our 100YP dynamic duo routine, complete with loops, piano, guitars, bass, and vocals. 

We go on at 9:35 PM SHARP and play a 30 minute set.  Every group will also be playing a Beatles tune and there will be lots of sitting in with other players and that sort of thing.  Definitely a cool event for a great cause, so I hope to see you there.  Starts at 8:00 PM with some of the BTF boys, then Cody (Chicago Farmer) is soon after so get there early and stay all night.

Mojo Stew Puts Together Reunion Show, 100YP Opens

In the mid 80s and early 90s, there was a great original band from Bloomington called Mojo Stew.  They were an awesome R&B pop funk quintet and everyone will be back in town on Saturday, November 24, doing a reunion show at Daddio's in Bloomington. 

It should be quite an event.  As an added plus, the XRAYMEN (former guys from Kool Ray and the Polaroidz) will be opening. 

Also making our first appearance as a 100 Year Picnic duo, playing songs from the new record, Edwin and I will start the show off at 8:00.   Edwin will be playing bass and guitar and I will be making loops, playing piano, playing the acoustic guitar, and hopefully singing.  I've trashed my voice in the last week, but I just know it's gonna be back by the 24th...

Come on out and reconnect with some old friends.